Regulations

In late January 2018, Smart Dissent published the post below.  This is an update to record that unfortunately this action has now been made official.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Monday that it is officially withdrawing the final rule it delayed for the third time in November..... that would have set new standards for the way animals should be treated if their meat is going to be sold as “certified organic.”

Trump's Transportation Department is halting rules developed to address dangerous transportation safety problems from speeding tractor-trailers to sleepy railroad engineers.  This is motivated by a criminal quest to roll back regulations across the government.  Regulations protect us.

In December 2017, Trump announced his administration, at the recommendation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, will dramatically shrink the size of the state's two national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Trump's orders mark the largest reversal of national monument protections in U.S. history.

The slogan "Drain the Swamp" actually meant undoing many well-researched societal protections put in place over the years.  These protections, known to most as regulations, can take years and sometimes a decade to implement.  Republicans are thrilled to have control of Congress despite the lunatic in the White House so they can undo as many as possible at the behest of their corporate overlords.

Trump and the regulators he appointed....delaying key regulations and imposing fewer penalties against financial institutions and other corporations accused of wrongdoing....

No issue in the past 13+ months of Trump's reign of terror / stupidity / embarrassment has drawn more strong outcry than healthcare.  That's truly saying something considering the amount of topics that we've loudly dissented about.  Our efforts even led to several Republican senators supposedly saving the healthcare system we have, which isn't great but far better than the Trump / GOP alternative. 

Ajit Pai, the FCC Chairman who is owned by the telecom and cable industry, is pushing closer to grant their wishes.  Named by Trump in January 2017, Pai has been working every day since then to repeal rules that classify internet service as a utility. Under the Pai plan, high-speed internet service will no longer be treated like a public utility with strict rules, as it is now. Instead, he said, the industry "should largely be left to police itself.”   

Sometimes the headline says it all.  Once you've stopped shaking your head in disgust, please continue to read below.

In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which promoted the integration, acceptance, and everyday rights of people with disabilities. But last week, the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted along party lines to undermine a key tenet of that landmark civil rights law.  The bill now heads to the Senate.

In August 2017, Smart Dissent had this post discussing Scott Pruitt and the EPA's attempt to suspend a rule that restricts methane emissions to fight climate change. 

Simple protections for animal welfare is something that extends to all political spectrums.  In my involvement with dog rescue groups, I've been struck by meeting key volunteers who devote their lives to animal welfare yet are staunch conservatives politically.  While it doesn't make much sense to me, I do not let that conversation get too far as we have a focus on the animals and can work together on that.  I've "joked" to current and aspiring politicians that they could win votes by taking action towards animal rights and rescue.  As simple as that, support for a candidate can take off.